Chapter 107
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After spending the entire night in excruciating pain, Alejandro finally broke free from it.
He woke up as the lowly mage Alei, whose memories had been wiped clean. He was no different from a newborn fawn who knew nothing but to walk and run.
It was only after all his memories came back that Alejandro seemed to be able to understand all the unbelievable things that there were in this life.
From the way Ophelia knew so many things to an unbelievable degree, and to the manner in which his past seemed to keep drawing him back to her.
‘As I looked back, it’s like that with the day I met Ophelia as well.’
The place where they first met was the garden outside the banquet hall—a place that Alei, who was a mage of the lowest rank, had no business being in.
Nevertheless, there was only one reason why he was able to meet Ophelia, and that’s because of a stroke of happenstance that he went the wrong way.
Alejandro didn’t know the right paths because there were many restricted areas in the imperial palace.
That’s why when he was trying to leave the palace, he didn’t know that he had taken the wrong way, and that’s when he saw Ophelia falling.
At that time, he thought that it was just one huge coincidence.
‘Now that I think about it, that must have been Ariel’s scale at work.’
Alejandro entered the dream that was created by the mermaid scale, then he encountered Ophelia along the way.
Their meeting also changed when the dream turned into reality.
Even the fact that an imperial princess and a mage were paired to go to Ladeen was a way to reunite the two old friends.
—Everything I know… You’re the one who told me.
Ophelia’s words briefly flashed through his mind. And the look in her eyes was full of warmth and the feeling that she missed him.
It was a distinctly different gaze compared to when they last saw each other.
Back then, Ophelia had drawn the line between the both of them, but this time, she didn’t hesitate to show her innermost feelings.
However, overshadowing this change was the fact that reality inevitably caught up to itself.
Ophelia took the plunge down a cliff, and once again, he failed to protect her.
This time, everything was far worse compared to the past.
‘Ophelia wasn’t completely dead in the past.’
This time, he wasn’t sure if he would even be able to find Ophelia’s remains intact.
The situation had become so much worse after the clock had been turned back, and this was a fact that dawned upon him horribly.
More than the torturous pain wracking through his body, more than the shock of remembering all the things he had forgotten, the weight of the tragedy that transpired right before him made it impossible for him to stop the tears falling down.
Because the fire had already been put out, he felt two presences approaching nearby. Perhaps the priests were belatedly searching for the mages who had escaped.
But Alejandro had not the slightest will to move.
His memories were not all that he regained. The position, that had once been lost to him, was restored as well.
He could now feel his connection to the magic tower and its consciousness.
Because the magic tower had only one lord in every generation, if Alejandro hadn’t regained his memories, the tower would have stayed asleep until there was another lord in the next generation.
But Alejandro did return, and the magic tower welcomed him.
That’s why if he so decided to, escaping from the clutches of a countryside temporary temple was clearly something that Alejandro, at his level, would not struggle with.
Being as outstanding and as omnipotent as he was, on the contrary, made him lose motivation.
When the existence that somehow gave him meaning in this dim life disappeared, Alejandro lost all his will to continue on. Even his senses grew dull.
It was as if a tidal wave of anguish had crashed into him, and so all he wished was to be swept away into the endless depths of the sea…
“…te, he really is crying, right?”
“Crying buckets, is what it looks like, yeah.”
And then, there were two murmuring voices. The most important thing was that those voices were so very familiar to him.
“As I thought, would it have been better to tell him in advance?”
“Wasn’t there a reason why you didn’t say anything?”
“Actually, I didn’t expect things to go this far. I thought I could hide better since I set the forest on fire.”
Was he imagining things? The woman’s murmuring voice was all too familiar.
Alejandro raised his head unconsciously and turned his eyes towards the direction of that voice.
“…Ophelia?”
Amidst the stark darkness, a figure wrapped in dark green wings that were reminiscent of a cape could be seen.
Standing next to this figure was a tall man, and when the figure walked out of the cape, which covered her head, the red hair hidden beneath fluttered in the wind like a bright flame.
Unlike any fire, it was impossible for her to light up the darkness.
And yet, the moment he saw her, Alejandro somehow felt as if all his surroundings became illuminated so brightly.
“Alei.”
The gentle voice called for him, and it felt as though he could see the figure smiling at him in the dark.
Was he seeing things? Had he already gone mad?
The tears that remained in his eyes eventually fell down Alejandro’s face, which hardened due to shock.
However, as the lighthouse had once again been found, it was impossible for the ship not to turn its course.
Not even realizing it himself, Alejandro stepped forward as though he was being pushed by an invisible force.
Twigs broke under his feet, hands were caught. Then, the gentle warmth of her touch caressed Alejandro’s soaked cheeks.
“Were you very surprised?”
Seeing her much more clearly now, Ophelia’s face could be seen. Her soft voice flowed into his ears.
At this very moment, all the sounds of the remaining commotion in the turquoise forest and even the waves crashing into the sea had lulled in the background.
Alejandro reached out in front of him—as he still had a feeling that everything might just be a hallucination—he held that figure and pulled her into his embrace.
As this tangible figure and warmth could be felt in his arms, the emptiness within him became full.
He felt the person in his arms burst into a peal of laughter.
“…Ophelia.”
She came back.
* * *
Truthfully, this was planned from the very beginning.
This could all be traced back to the time Ophelia first visited the edge of the cliff, with Sante and that coin.
“Ophelia, it’s better not to be so close to the edge. If you fall suddenly because of the wind—”
“Can’t you just catch me?”
Those words made Sante frown.
Ophelia had been planning her own death ever since she headed to Ladeen. That is, her death in society.
“I have to die in order to enter the magic tower. After all, I am Ophelia Milescet, Imperial Princess of the Milescet Empire.”
With this method, she wouldn’t be found, and the magic tower and the empire wouldn’t be embroiled in some cumbersome problems.
That’s why Ophelia had deliberately gathered people while looking for a chance to stage her death.
When she heard that Alei had been imprisoned in the temporary temple, she recalled the conversation and thought this was a suitable plan.
The plan was to create a disturbance that would preoccupy the people of the temporary temple, run away while luring a crowd deeper into the turquoise forest, then jump off the cliff.
If Alejandro heard about this plan beforehand, he obviously would have thought that it was an unthinkably crazy plan. Unfortunately then, he was not one of the variables in this plan.
So Ophelia gave orders to the sirens before leaving to go to the temporary temple.
“Dillo, you go to Cornelli. You’re the fastest of you three, aren’t you? I need you to go there as soon as you can. Cornelli will be by the gates, so he won’t be difficult to find. Tell him not to come back to the castle today.”
“Leave it to me!”
“Then second, Sillo, look for Sante. I’m sure you can find him best because you have good eyes. Once you find Sante, say this to him.”
“Okay! What’ll I say?”
“Tell him to come if he wants to receive the boatman’s fare. Once you say this, he’ll understand.”
“Got it!”
Sillo then left posthaste, then came back safely—just as Ophelia was in the middle of the conflict with Ian.
While Ian was unconscious because the sirens had attacked him, Ophelia secretly asked Sillo.
“Sillo, did you find Sante?”
“Yeah! I told him your message! He said he understands!”
The lively answer made Ophelia smile.
In any case, she needed even just one witness. Even better that this one person would build up the incident.
Ophelia deliberately lured Ian into the forest and headed towards the cliff’s edge.
“Even the horse knows that it’ll die at that place. Are you done running away?”
“…There’s nowhere else to go, so it seems like it.”
The stage was complete.
Now, all that’s left was to let the actors recite their lines.
“Let’s end it here.”
With those final words, Ophelia took the fall down the cliff. It was a life-threatening gamble, but she was not afraid.
Right before she jumped, she already saw the dark green feathers changing into a golden hue—fluttering in the wind, brushing against her.
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After spending the entire night in excruciating pain, Alejandro finally broke free from it.
He woke up as the lowly mage Alei, whose memories had been wiped clean. He was no different from a newborn fawn who knew nothing but to walk and run.
It was only after all his memories came back that Alejandro seemed to be able to understand all the unbelievable things that there were in this life.
From the way Ophelia knew so many things to an unbelievable degree, and to the manner in which his past seemed to keep drawing him back to her.
‘As I looked back, it’s like that with the day I met Ophelia as well.’
The place where they first met was the garden outside the banquet hall—a place that Alei, who was a mage of the lowest rank, had no business being in.
Nevertheless, there was only one reason why he was able to meet Ophelia, and that’s because of a stroke of happenstance that he went the wrong way.
Alejandro didn’t know the right paths because there were many restricted areas in the imperial palace.
That’s why when he was trying to leave the palace, he didn’t know that he had taken the wrong way, and that’s when he saw Ophelia falling.
At that time, he thought that it was just one huge coincidence.
‘Now that I think about it, that must have been Ariel’s scale at work.’
Alejandro entered the dream that was created by the mermaid scale, then he encountered Ophelia along the way.
Their meeting also changed when the dream turned into reality.
Even the fact that an imperial princess and a mage were paired to go to Ladeen was a way to reunite the two old friends.
—Everything I know… You’re the one who told me.
Ophelia’s words briefly flashed through his mind. And the look in her eyes was full of warmth and the feeling that she missed him.
It was a distinctly different gaze compared to when they last saw each other.
Back then, Ophelia had drawn the line between the both of them, but this time, she didn’t hesitate to show her innermost feelings.
However, overshadowing this change was the fact that reality inevitably caught up to itself.
Ophelia took the plunge down a cliff, and once again, he failed to protect her.
This time, everything was far worse compared to the past.
‘Ophelia wasn’t completely dead in the past.’
This time, he wasn’t sure if he would even be able to find Ophelia’s remains intact.
The situation had become so much worse after the clock had been turned back, and this was a fact that dawned upon him horribly.
More than the torturous pain wracking through his body, more than the shock of remembering all the things he had forgotten, the weight of the tragedy that transpired right before him made it impossible for him to stop the tears falling down.
Because the fire had already been put out, he felt two presences approaching nearby. Perhaps the priests were belatedly searching for the mages who had escaped.
But Alejandro had not the slightest will to move.
His memories were not all that he regained. The position, that had once been lost to him, was restored as well.
He could now feel his connection to the magic tower and its consciousness.
Because the magic tower had only one lord in every generation, if Alejandro hadn’t regained his memories, the tower would have stayed asleep until there was another lord in the next generation.
But Alejandro did return, and the magic tower welcomed him.
That’s why if he so decided to, escaping from the clutches of a countryside temporary temple was clearly something that Alejandro, at his level, would not struggle with.
Being as outstanding and as omnipotent as he was, on the contrary, made him lose motivation.
When the existence that somehow gave him meaning in this dim life disappeared, Alejandro lost all his will to continue on. Even his senses grew dull.
It was as if a tidal wave of anguish had crashed into him, and so all he wished was to be swept away into the endless depths of the sea…
“…te, he really is crying, right?”
“Crying buckets, is what it looks like, yeah.”
And then, there were two murmuring voices. The most important thing was that those voices were so very familiar to him.
“As I thought, would it have been better to tell him in advance?”
“Wasn’t there a reason why you didn’t say anything?”
“Actually, I didn’t expect things to go this far. I thought I could hide better since I set the forest on fire.”
Was he imagining things? The woman’s murmuring voice was all too familiar.
Alejandro raised his head unconsciously and turned his eyes towards the direction of that voice.
“…Ophelia?”
Amidst the stark darkness, a figure wrapped in dark green wings that were reminiscent of a cape could be seen.
Standing next to this figure was a tall man, and when the figure walked out of the cape, which covered her head, the red hair hidden beneath fluttered in the wind like a bright flame.
Unlike any fire, it was impossible for her to light up the darkness.
And yet, the moment he saw her, Alejandro somehow felt as if all his surroundings became illuminated so brightly.
“Alei.”
The gentle voice called for him, and it felt as though he could see the figure smiling at him in the dark.
Was he seeing things? Had he already gone mad?
The tears that remained in his eyes eventually fell down Alejandro’s face, which hardened due to shock.
However, as the lighthouse had once again been found, it was impossible for the ship not to turn its course.
Not even realizing it himself, Alejandro stepped forward as though he was being pushed by an invisible force.
Twigs broke under his feet, hands were caught. Then, the gentle warmth of her touch caressed Alejandro’s soaked cheeks.
“Were you very surprised?”
Seeing her much more clearly now, Ophelia’s face could be seen. Her soft voice flowed into his ears.
At this very moment, all the sounds of the remaining commotion in the turquoise forest and even the waves crashing into the sea had lulled in the background.
Alejandro reached out in front of him—as he still had a feeling that everything might just be a hallucination—he held that figure and pulled her into his embrace.
As this tangible figure and warmth could be felt in his arms, the emptiness within him became full.
He felt the person in his arms burst into a peal of laughter.
“…Ophelia.”
She came back.
* * *
Truthfully, this was planned from the very beginning.
This could all be traced back to the time Ophelia first visited the edge of the cliff, with Sante and that coin.
“Ophelia, it’s better not to be so close to the edge. If you fall suddenly because of the wind—”
“Can’t you just catch me?”
Those words made Sante frown.
Ophelia had been planning her own death ever since she headed to Ladeen. That is, her death in society.
“I have to die in order to enter the magic tower. After all, I am Ophelia Milescet, Imperial Princess of the Milescet Empire.”
With this method, she wouldn’t be found, and the magic tower and the empire wouldn’t be embroiled in some cumbersome problems.
That’s why Ophelia had deliberately gathered people while looking for a chance to stage her death.
When she heard that Alei had been imprisoned in the temporary temple, she recalled the conversation and thought this was a suitable plan.
The plan was to create a disturbance that would preoccupy the people of the temporary temple, run away while luring a crowd deeper into the turquoise forest, then jump off the cliff.
If Alejandro heard about this plan beforehand, he obviously would have thought that it was an unthinkably crazy plan. Unfortunately then, he was not one of the variables in this plan.
So Ophelia gave orders to the sirens before leaving to go to the temporary temple.
“Dillo, you go to Cornelli. You’re the fastest of you three, aren’t you? I need you to go there as soon as you can. Cornelli will be by the gates, so he won’t be difficult to find. Tell him not to come back to the castle today.”
“Leave it to me!”
“Then second, Sillo, look for Sante. I’m sure you can find him best because you have good eyes. Once you find Sante, say this to him.”
“Okay! What’ll I say?”
“Tell him to come if he wants to receive the boatman’s fare. Once you say this, he’ll understand.”
“Got it!”
Sillo then left posthaste, then came back safely—just as Ophelia was in the middle of the conflict with Ian.
While Ian was unconscious because the sirens had attacked him, Ophelia secretly asked Sillo.
“Sillo, did you find Sante?”
“Yeah! I told him your message! He said he understands!”
The lively answer made Ophelia smile.
In any case, she needed even just one witness. Even better that this one person would build up the incident.
Ophelia deliberately lured Ian into the forest and headed towards the cliff’s edge.
“Even the horse knows that it’ll die at that place. Are you done running away?”
“…There’s nowhere else to go, so it seems like it.”
The stage was complete.
Now, all that’s left was to let the actors recite their lines.
“Let’s end it here.”
With those final words, Ophelia took the fall down the cliff. It was a life-threatening gamble, but she was not afraid.
Right before she jumped, she already saw the dark green feathers changing into a golden hue—fluttering in the wind, brushing against her.
After spending the entire night in excruciating pain, Alejandro finally broke free from it.He woke up as the lowly mage Alei, whose memories had been wiped clean. He was no different from a newborn fawn who knew nothing but to walk and run.It was only after all his memories came back that Alejandro seemed to be able to understand all the unbelievable things that there were in this life.From the way Ophelia knew so many things to an unbelievable degree, and to the manner in which his past seemed to keep drawing him back to her.As I looked back, it's like that with the day I met Ophelia as well.'The place where they first met was the garden outside the banquet halla place that Alei, who was a mage of the lowest rank, had no business being in.Nevertheless, there was only one reason why he was able to meet Ophelia, and that's because of a stroke of happenstance that he went the wrong way.Alejandro didn't know the right paths because there were many restricted areas in the imperial palace.That's why when he was trying to leave the palace, he didn't know that he had taken the wrong way, and that's when he saw Ophelia falling.At that time, he thought that it was just one huge coincidence.Now that I think about it, that must have been Ariel's scale at work.'Alejandro entered the dream that was created by the mermaid scale, then he encountered Ophelia along the way.Their meeting also changed when the dream turned into reality.Even the fact that an imperial princess and a mage were paired to go to Ladeen was a way to reunite the two old friends.Everything I know You're the one who told me.Ophelia's words briefly flashed through his mind. And the look in her eyes was full of warmth and the feeling that she missed him.It was a distinctly different gaze compared to when they last saw each other.Back then, Ophelia had drawn the line between the both of them, but this time, she didn't hesitate to show her innermost feelings.However, overshadowing this change was the fact that reality inevitably caught up to itself.Ophelia took the plunge down a cliff, and once again, he failed to protect her.This time, everything was far worse compared to the past.Ophelia wasn't completely dead in the past.'This time, he wasn't sure if he would even be able to find Ophelia's remains intact.The situation had become so much worse after the clock had been turned back, and this was a fact that dawned upon him horribly.More than the torturous pain wracking through his body, more than the shock of remembering all the things he had forgotten, the weight of the tragedy that transpired right before him made it impossible for him to stop the tears falling down.Because the fire had already been put out, he felt two presences approaching nearby. Perhaps the priests were belatedly searching for the mages who had escaped.But Alejandro had not the slightest will to move.His memories were not all that he regained. The position, that had once been lost to him, was restored as well.He could now feel his connection to the magic tower and its consciousness.Because the magic tower had only one lord in every generation, if Alejandro hadn't regained his memories, the tower would have stayed asleep until there was another lord in the next generation.But Alejandro did return, and the magic tower welcomed him.That's why if he so decided to, escaping from the clutches of a countryside temporary temple was clearly something that Alejandro, at his level, would not struggle with.Being as outstanding and as omnipotent as he was, on the contrary, made him lose motivation.When the existence that somehow gave him meaning in this dim life disappeared, Alejandro lost all his will to continue on. Even his senses grew dull.It was as if a tidal wave of anguish had crashed into him, and so all he wished was to be swept away into the endless depths of the seate, he reallyiscrying, right?Crying buckets, is what it looks like, yeah.And then, there were two murmuring voices. The most important thing was that those voices were so very familiar to him.As I thought, would it have been better to tell him in advance?Wasn't there a reason why you didn't say anything?Actually, I didn't expect things to go this far. I thought I could hide better since I set the forest on fire.Was he imagining things? The woman's murmuring voice was all too familiar.Alejandro raised his head unconsciously and turned his eyes towards the direction of that voice.Ophelia?Amidst the stark darkness, a figure wrapped in dark green wings that were reminiscent of a cape could be seen.Standing next to this figure was a tall man, and when the figure walked out of the cape, which covered her head, the red hair hidden beneath fluttered in the wind like a bright flame.Unlike any fire, it was impossible for her to light up the darkness.And yet, the moment he saw her, Alejandro somehow felt as if all his surroundings became illuminated so brightly.Alei.The gentle voice called for him, and it felt as though he could see the figure smiling at him in the dark.Was he seeing things? Had he already gone mad?The tears that remained in his eyes eventually fell down Alejandro's face, which hardened due to shock.However, as the lighthouse had once again been found, it was impossible for the shipnotto turn its course.Not even realizing it himself, Alejandro stepped forward as though he was being pushed by an invisible force.Twigs broke under his feet, hands were caught. Then, the gentle warmth of her touch caressed Alejandro's soaked cheeks.Were you very surprised?Seeing her much more clearly now, Ophelia's face could be seen. Her soft voice flowed into his ears.At this very moment, all the sounds of the remaining commotion in the turquoise forest and even the waves crashing into the sea had lulled in the background.Alejandro reached out in front of himas he still had a feeling that everything might just be a hallucinationhe held that figure and pulled her into his embrace.As this tangible figure and warmth could be felt in his arms, the emptiness within him became full.He felt the person in his arms burst into a peal of laughter.Ophelia.She came back.* * *Truthfully, this was planned from the very beginning.This could all be traced back to the time Ophelia first visited the edge of the cliff, with Sante and that coin.Ophelia, it's better not to be so close to the edge. If you fall suddenly because of the windCan't you just catch me?Those words made Sante frown.Ophelia had been planning her own death ever since she headed to Ladeen. That is, her death in society.I have to die in order to enter the magic tower. After all, I am Ophelia Milescet, Imperial Princess of the Milescet Empire.With this method, she wouldn't be found, and the magic tower and the empire wouldn't be embroiled in some cumbersome problems.That's why Ophelia had deliberately gathered people while looking for a chance to stage her death.When she heard that Alei had been imprisoned in the temporary temple, she recalled the conversation and thought this was a suitable plan.The plan was to create a disturbance that would preoccupy the people of the temporary temple, run away while luring a crowd deeper into the turquoise forest, then jump off the cliff.If Alejandro heard about this plan beforehand, he obviously would have thought that it was an unthinkably crazy plan. Unfortunately then, he was not one of the variables in this plan.So Ophelia gave orders to the sirens before leaving to go to the temporary temple.Dillo, you go to Cornelli. You're the fastest of you three, aren't you? I need you to go there as soon as you can. Cornelli will be by the gates, so he won't be difficult to find. Tell him not to come back to the castle today.Leave it to me!Then second, Sillo, look for Sante. I'm sure you can find him best because you have good eyes. Once you find Sante, say this to him.Okay! What'll I say?Tell him to come if he wants to receive the boatman's fare. Once you say this, he'll understand.Got it!Sillo then left posthaste, then came back safelyjust as Ophelia was in the middle of the conflict with Ian.While Ian was unconscious because the sirens had attacked him, Ophelia secretly asked Sillo.Sillo, did you find Sante?Yeah! I told him your message! He said he understands!The lively answer made Ophelia smile.In any case, she needed even just one witness. Even better that this one person would build up the incident.Ophelia deliberately lured Ian into the forest and headed towards the cliff's edge.Even the horse knows that it'll die at that place. Are you done running away?There's nowhere else to go, so it seems like it.The stage was complete.Now, all that's left was to let the actors recite their lines.Let's end it here.With those final words, Ophelia took the fall down the cliff. It was a life-threatening gamble, but she was not afraid.Right before she jumped, she already saw the dark green feathers changing into a golden huefluttering in the wind, brushing against her.
